Ph.D. in Nursing

The following information will facilitate your progression through the Saint Louis
University's Ph.D. in Nursing program.

We also encourage you to refer to the Ph.D. student handbook. Please note that general student rules and regulations in place at Saint Louis University
apply unless superseded by policies of the School of Nursing.

Program Outcomes

Upon graduating this program, you will contribute to the continued development of
the discipline and profession of nursing. You will:

Articulate multiple perspectives on knowledge development and a broad understanding
of research methods.

Critique and synthesize nursing and interdisciplinary knowledge in a substantive area
of inquiry.

Generate and disseminate nursing knowledge through research that is innovative, rigorously
conducted, ethically sound, and culturally sensitive.

Steward the discipline by serving as leaders in health care and academic settings.

Cognate/Certificate Programs

Cognate courses are elective courses chosen with the assistance of your adviser. They
will individually and collectively enhance your depth of understanding in your chosen
research area of concentration. These courses may be chosen from other schools or
departments in the University. The areas include medicine, public health, psychology,
sociology, education, public policy, business, research methodology, and other relevant
disciplines.

Following completion of all course work, including required nursing courses, methods
courses, electives and cognate courses in the area of concentration, you will take
a written preliminary exam and an oral preliminary exam. You will also defend a dissertation
proposal and completes and defends a dissertation.

Dissertation

Your dissertation will present evidence of your ability to extend your knowledge base
in nursing through original research on a topic of importance that has been previously
unresolved. You may choose either a traditional academic dissertation format or a non-traditional,
three-paper dissertation format. Both formats require a dissertation committee, completion
of 12 hours of dissertation credits, and a dissertation as a final product.

Although the formal designation of the dissertation director/committee chair and committee
members cannot occur until candidacy, the anticipated chair and the presumptive committee
are to review dissertation plans as early as practical in the student's program. The
decision of which dissertation alternative to pursue is foremost on the presumptive
committee's agenda. For more detailed information about the different dissertation
formats and the process, see the Ph.D. Student Handbook.

Preliminary Exams

Preliminary examinations for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing are designed
to test your comprehension and knowledge after you've completed all required course
work. The examinations include a written portion and an oral portion, both of which
must be completed successfully before you can be advanced to degree candidacy. To
be eligible to take the preliminary examinations, all course work must be completed.